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"Pickguards ruin the tone"

#81
Robroy said:
All things being equal except the wood? sure.

If basses were cars, there would be virtually no difference in the handling between a rusty old Yugo and a brand new Ferrari, as long as they both used the same tires.
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I think I'll stick to believing otherwise :) I'm not particularly a tonewood evangelist, but I do think wood composition and density affects resonance and sustain.
 
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#82
That paper Strat is cool. They essentially recreated an expanded version of the cellular properties of wood. For any who think it proves electronics are all that matters what they did to get it to sustain (pun intended) the tension of the strings is why it sounds.

The undistorted takes sound like a Strat I would hang back on the wall.

A Pbass is another animal!

The DeHaviland Mosquito was one of the fastest planes of WWII. It was made of plywood. Plywood was lighter and at the edge stronger than steel.
 
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#84
40Hz said:
The Wal has a pickup and electronics package unique to Wal basses. So nothing else will ever precisely match the tone and response of a Wal. So whatever comparison you choose to make will always be apples & oranges.

Does that make a Wal "intrinsically" better than anything else out there? That depends on what criteria you're using to define "better." Suffice to say Wals are marvelous instruments (any one of which I'd personally be happy to own and play) and let it go at that.
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I just realised, the Wal has no pickguard... if I take the tort off the P it will be the same as the Wal :)
 
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#85
Robroy said:
All things being equal except the wood? sure.

If basses were cars, there would be virtually no difference in the handling between a rusty old Yugo and a brand new Ferrari, as long as they both used the same tires.
Click to expand...

When you consider the way most people drive, it wouldn't matter even if the tires were different. ;)
 
#88
40Hz said:
When you consider the way most people drive, it wouldn't matter even if the tires were different. ;)
Click to expand...
Good point.

I confess this whole "wood affects the sound" thing has been, through most of my bass playing career, the equivalent of arguing over whether a waxed Corvette is faster than a dirty one. Technically, the waxed one has less drag, but there are a lot more factors that have a VERY real impact on the speed. Dirt is the last thing you should consider.

Same thing here. For me the wood is all about looks. As is the dirt on the 'Vette.

To be real clear, I'm talking about solid body instruments with standard pickups. There is just way too much evidence out there to prove this.
 
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#90
TL;DR the whole thread beyond post #1.

Absolutely true. This is why none of my basses or guitars have pickguards. I have sold off any that had a pickguard attached to it, either by screws or adhesive.
 
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#91
ficelles said:
I think I'll stick to believing otherwise :) I'm not particularly a tonewood evangelist, but I do think wood composition and density affects resonance and sustain.
Click to expand...
I can't prove your statement to be true with any factual data. I agree with it and that has been my experience over the last 25 years. For the record I am a wood matters guy. Pickgards, not so much.
 
#92
Robroy said:
Good point.

I confess this whole "wood affects the sound" thing has been, through most of my bass playing career, the equivalent of arguing over whether a waxed Corvette is faster than a dirty one. Technically, the waxed one has less drag, but there are a lot more factors that have a VERY real impact on the speed. Dirt is the last thing you should consider.

Same thing here. For me the wood is all about looks. As is the dirt on the 'Vette.

To be real clear, I'm talking about solid body instruments with standard pickups. There is just way too much evidence out there to prove this.
Click to expand...

Agree.

I went through similar awakenings with a lot of things about basses that have typically generated far more heat than light, such as: tonewoods, hi-mass bridges, neck through vs set neck vs bolt-on construction, maple vs rosewood fretboards, nitro lacquer vs urethane finishes, capacitor composition, scatterwinding, alnico vs ceramic magnets, wax vs lacquer potting for pickups, etc..

I'm now at the stage of my life where I think none of that really much matters. What does matter is that some basses are going to sound and play significantly better than others, and if you're smart, you'll just buy the ones that sound and play better and ignore everything else - including the brand.

I've been a lot happier the past twenty years trusting my ears and hands and generally disregarding the debates. My current thinking is that there are really only two kinds of basses in the world: (1) the basses I currently own and play; and (2) everything else.

If I were a professional builder I might feel otherwise. But I'm primarily a bass player. So sound and feel are all I really need to be concerned about. And I can get all the info I need on that just by playing something.
 
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#93
clivem said:
Everyone knows if you want "serious tone", you need a tort pickguard! LOL
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure this pick guard change improved the tone... :)
IMG_8950.JPG
 
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#95
cactus1 said:
Finally, I have found the missing link in my rig. A"tonewood" pick guard to compliment the sound I get from my Victor Wooten Signature Music Cord Pro and my Monster Bass Cables...........View attachment 2745767
Click to expand...

I know, right? Tonewood pick guard, so important. The wood guard on this bass is absolutely critical to its tone. In fact, if I remove the guard, the bass goes completely silent until the guard is back on. Not sure what to call this effect, but I'm sure it must be "para" something.

IMG_0573_zpswptrjexk.jpg
 
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#96
40Hz said:
Agree.

I went through similar awakenings with a lot of things about basses that have typically generated far more heat than light, such as: tonewoods, hi-mass bridges, neck through vs set neck vs bolt-on construction, maple vs rosewood fretboards, nitro lacquer vs urethane finishes, capacitor composition, scatterwinding, alnico vs ceramic magnets, wax vs lacquer potting for pickups, etc..

I'm now at the stage of my life where I think none of that really much matters. What does matter is that some basses are going to sound and play significantly better than others, and if you're smart, you'll just buy the ones that sound and play better and ignore everything else - including the brand.

I've been a lot happier the past twenty years trusting my ears and hands and generally disregarding the debates. My current thinking is that there are really only two kinds of basses in the world: (1) the basses I currently own and play; and (2) everything else.

If I were a professional builder I might feel otherwise. But I'm primarily a bass player. So sound and feel are all I really need to be concerned about. And I can get all the info I need on that just by playing something.
Click to expand...
Ha! Right on. To drive it home, I was doing a rehearsal at a church and they told me I could just use the bass they had there. Well, it was a crappy no-name P-bass with a broken pick guard, brush painted body and sloppy knobs. But I was feeling lazy so I said, sure, why not.

That thing sounded awesome and it was a joy to play. It really taught me something and drove the point home.
 
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